SUPERPAN Develops Recyclable Thermoplastic Composites for Vehicle Structures

Updated on August 17, 2026 • 5 min read

A Spanish consortium is developing lightweight thermoplastic composite panels aimed at reducing vehicle weight while improving the recyclability of structural components.

The SUPERPAN project is led by Spain-based composites manufacturer Birka Composites in collaboration with research centers Aimplas and Ideko. The partners are developing ultralight, multidirectionally reinforced panels for transport applications while adapting automated manufacturing technologies to the new materials.

The project focuses on two challenges facing composite vehicle structures: achieving substantial weight reduction without sacrificing structural performance and improving the options available when components reach the end of their service life.

Thermoplastic Composites Target Improved Recyclability

Fiber-reinforced composites offer high strength-to-weight performance and can replace heavier steel or aluminum components in selected transportation applications.

However, recycling conventional composite structures can be difficult, particularly when thermoset matrices or complex multi-material constructions are involved.

SUPERPAN is therefore focusing on thermoplastic matrices, which offer different end-of-life processing possibilities compared with permanently crosslinked thermoset systems.

The consortium is also examining the manufacturing process itself, including opportunities to reduce production energy consumption.

According to Birka operations director Manuel Guerrero, the objective is to develop more efficient materials capable of reducing structural weight without compromising safety or performance.

Dual Pull Braiding Combines Pultrusion and Braiding

One of the central manufacturing technologies in SUPERPAN is Birka’s patented Dual Pull Braiding process.

The technology combines pultrusion with fiber braiding. During manufacturing, fibers are braided around unidirectional yarns embedded within a polymer matrix.

This creates reinforcement in multiple directions rather than relying exclusively on fibers oriented along the profile’s longitudinal axis.

The braiding angle can be adjusted according to structural requirements, enabling reinforcement architecture to be adapted to different loads and component designs.

According to Birka, the continuous process can manufacture thin-walled, lightweight profiles with complex geometries and high fiber content.

Both glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforcement are relevant to Birka’s composite manufacturing capabilities.

Automation Moves Into Composite Panel Production

SUPERPAN is not limited to material development.

The partners are combining Dual Pull Braiding with ultraviolet-assisted prepreg curing and automated process control technologies.

Sensors and controllers integrated into the manufacturing line will collect process data during production. This information is intended to support quality control while helping manufacturers identify defects and reduce process variability.

The approach also targets improved production repeatability and scalability.

For automotive and other transportation applications, these manufacturing considerations are particularly important because a lightweight material must ultimately be produced consistently and economically if it is to move from development into larger-volume applications.

The consortium expects greater automation to contribute to lower labor and production costs.

Aimplas and Ideko Support Materials and Automation Development

Each organization is contributing a different area of expertise to the project.

Aimplas is supporting polymer development, material characterization, recyclability and advanced manufacturing activities.

Ideko is contributing expertise in industrial automation and digitalization, including the integration of manufacturing data and process control.

Birka is providing the composite manufacturing technology and experience required to translate these developments into reinforced structural profiles.

Together, the three partners are working toward a manufacturing system in which material formulation, reinforcement architecture and production control are developed as an integrated process rather than as separate stages.

Automotive Recycling Requirements Add Pressure for New Materials

The development comes as Europe’s automotive sector faces increasing pressure to consider recycled materials and end-of-life recovery during vehicle design.

Under new European requirements cited by the project, new vehicles will be required to incorporate minimum levels of recycled plastics, beginning with 15% recycled content by 2032 and increasing to 25% by 2036.

Part of that recycled content will need to originate from plastics recovered from end-of-life vehicles, increasing the importance of closed-loop material strategies.

For composite manufacturers, this adds another consideration alongside mechanical properties, weight and production cost: what happens to the material after the vehicle is retired.

From Lightweighting to Circular Composite Structures

SUPERPAN reflects a broader change in how automotive composites are being developed.

Weight reduction remains important because reducing vehicle mass can decrease the energy required for transportation. But lightweighting alone is increasingly insufficient as manufacturers also evaluate manufacturing energy, material recovery and recycled-content requirements.

The Spanish consortium is therefore attempting to address material design and manufacturing simultaneously.

If the technologies can be successfully industrialized, the resulting thermoplastic composite structures could provide another route for replacing selected steel or aluminum components while offering greater potential for material recovery at end of life.

For SUPERPAN, the next challenge will be translating these materials and manufacturing processes into scalable structural components capable of meeting the mechanical, production and recyclability requirements of transportation applications.

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